Water disposal means for an air conditioner



May 3, 1960 R. H. BOHMAN ET AL Filed Nov. 8, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l 1a o i w I I 1 I 1 n if! 5 38 34* 1 I Q l A 46 l 26 I 50 63 ,5 2 Q 36 v f) J A am 1 I m Fl (7. INVENTOR.

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May 3, 1960 R. H. BOHMAN ETAL 2,934,914

WATER DISPOSAL MEANS FOR AN AIR CONDITIONER Filed Nov. 8, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent WATER DISPOSAL MEANS FOR AN AIR CONDITIONER Raymond H. Bohman and Herbert D. Squire, Galesburg, Ill., assignors to Midwest Manufacturing Corporation, Galesburg, 11].

Application November 8, 1957, Serial No. 695,422

8 Claims. (Cl. 62-280) This invention relates to improvement in water disposal means for air conditioners and more particularly to an improved water slinging means.

As well known to those versed in the art, air conditioners of the household type employ a condenser acting in conjunction with a compressor for cooling and condensing a refrigerant, and an evaporator or cooling element for cooling the air passing therethrough. Fan means is provided for circulating the air through the condenser and evaporator. Since the evaporator is cold, air passing therethrough has the moisture therein condensed on the evaporator. The water so condensed runs down off the evaporator, usually into a sump. The accumulated water in the sump presents a disposal problem. The most common solution is to use this water to wet the condenser. Thus the water is dissipated and the condenser operates more efiiciently because the water is cold and helps to cool the condenser due to its inherent cool ness and also due to its vaporization. The water vapor is then discharged outwardly of the building.

One of the more serious problems has been to prevent a concentration of water in one spot on the condenser which sometimes prevents a complete vaporization of the water and consequent dripping from the air conditioner exteriorly of the building.

Various means have been proposed for throwing the water onto the condenser, the most common of which contemplated a slinger ring disposed peripherally of the fan blades and operating in a sump to which the water drained from the condenser. Another common means was a slinger ring supported from the same motor shaft but separate from the fan. Allof these have certain disadvantages among which may be enumerated the fact that the centrifugal force threw the water outwardly against the housing and the fact that they all required a larger installation.

By the present invention a slinger is provided which provides a more even distribution of water onto the condenser and which does not throw the water outwardly beyond the condenser. Another advantage resides in the fact that a much smaller installation may be made and that it may be attached to existing fans without substantial changes thereto. Still another advantage resides in the fact that no sump is required for the slinger, which was necessary in the prior art devices.

Still other advantages of the invention and the invention itself will become more apparent from the following description of an embodiment thereof which is illustrated by the accompanying drawings andform a part of the specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation of a portion of a room air conditioner showing the improved slinger of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical medial sectional view of the slinger ring assembly;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the outer slinger element; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the hub element.

2,934,914 Patented May 3, 1960 Throughout the drawings the parts have been designated by like reference characters.

As best shown in Fig. l the invention is illustrated as being applied to a household air conditioner. It will be appreciated however that the slinger of the invention may be used, not only for air conditioners, but also for dispensingother liquids in conjunction with a fan.

As illustrated in the drawings, there is provided an outer housing 10, which may be a simple rectangular boxlike structure having an opening 11 at the left side and top, opposite which an evaporator 12 is disposed. This type of device is usually disposed in a window or other opening of a building and the opening 11 is toward the interior of the structure to be cooled.

On the opposite side and extending from the bottom toward the top is another opening 15 opposite to which the condenser 16 is disposed.

Inwardly of the condenser is a fan motor 20, supported on a bracket 21 and having a shaft 22 extending outwardly from each end of the motor. The left end of the shaft supports a fan blade assembly 25 which is secured to the shaft by a suitable hub 26. The fan is opposite to an opening 27 which is below the evaporator discharge opening 11. Shielding 28 is provided so that air will be sucked in through the opening 27, passed upwardly into a chamber 29, which is formed by a partition 30, and outwardly through the evaporator 12.

Likewise the condenser 16 is provided with a shield 33 having an opening 34 in which a fan assembly 35 oper-- ates. The fan 35 is secured to the opposite end of the shaft 22 from the fan 25. This fan is of conventional construction including a hub 36 to which the fan blades are secured, the peripheries of the blades being tied together by a strengthening and antivibration ring 38. The usual gaps are provided between the blades at the roots thereof. Air may be admitted to the condenser or fan chamber 40 through a top opening such as 41.

So far as described the structure is conventional and is used merely to described one application of the invention.

Under the evaporator 12 is a pan 4-5 which has an outlet duct 46 connected to a tube 47 that extends through a grommet in the partition 30 and leads down to the hub of the condenser fan.

The slinger includes a hub 50, Fig. 4, which may be made of plastic or non-rusting metal. The hub is provided with longitudinal slits 51 and with a peripheral groove 52. The slits lend flexibility to the hub so that it may be telescoped on motor shafts which vary slightly in size. When once it is positioned in the desired place a O ring is snapped into thegroove 52 causing the hub to securely be engaged with the shaft. 1

Outwardly of the hub 50 is a circular support disc 53. The hub is supported by the shaft and the support disc supports the other part of the slinger, the relative position being shown best in Fig. 2.

The slinger includes a circular portion having a circular flange 55 extending toward but spaced from the hub and at right angles thereto a peripheral portion 56, the inner face of which is provided with a circular seat 57, Fig. 3, in which the periphery of the disc 53 is seated. The combination of the disc 53, flange 55 and part 56, provide an annular chamber 60 which is in spaced relation to the shaft.

It should be pointed out that the structure specifically described is merely a convenient manner of making the same and that the same structure could be made in other ways.

Slinger ducts are provided and preferably comprise alternate trough-like members 62 and 63 which are formed integrally with the periphery 56 and extend outwardly well beyond the disc 57. The bottom of each points where the troughs pass the disc 57, there is a clearance space. The troughs 62 extend nearly parallel to the axis, diverging but slightly away therefrom. The alternate troughs on the other hand diverge away from the axis at a considerably greater angle.

As best shown in Fig. 1 the slinger assembly body 5556-50 is disposed on the shaft 22 inwardly of the fan blade hub 36 with the slinger ducts 6263 extending outwardly to the outlet side of the fan through the gaps between the blades at the roots thereof. it should be pointed out that if desired these ducts could be tubes.

The tube 47 extends downward past the shaft 22 and into the annular chamber 66, preferably opening into the bottom of the chamber.

In operation when the unit is operating, water condensed on the evaporator runs down into the pan 45 out the duct 46 and is conducted by the tube 47 into the chamber 6% of the slinger. Since the slinger is rotating with the fan, the water in the chamber 60 flows out the ducts 62-63 and is discharged in the air stream on the outlet side of the fan 35 which breaks it up into small droplets which are evenly distributed over a large area of the condenser and are vaporized, the vapor being carried out to the open air outwardly of the building in the air stream.

The Zone of dispersion is enlarged by having the ducts 6263 at different angles. It has been found that the more slanting ducts have a tendency to cause the water to be thrown at the condenser in a zone closely centered with the axis of the fan, while the ducts 62 have a tendency to distribute the water outwardly of this zone. This is believed to be due to the fact that the water runs more easily and faster from ducts 63 than62. In either event the water is distributed over a wide area. It is also contemplated that some of the ducts could have even more slant if desired and that in some instances each duct could have a dilferent slant to provide an even greater and more complete distribution.

Having thus described the invention it is appreciated that numerous and extensive departures may be made from the exact embodiment as shown without departing from the teaching or spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A water disposal means for an air conditioner ineluding a motor having a shaft and a fan carried thereby, a refrigeration condenser, said fan being disposed to circulate air through the condenser, and having an inlet side and an exhaust side, means comprising an annular'chamber of substantially smaller diameter than said fan surrounding the shaft and supported thereby in spaced relation thereto on the inlet side of said fan, a continuous inlet opening to said annular chamber between the shaft and a wall of the chamber, means for conducting water through said opening into the chamber, and outlet means for said chamber comprising water conducting guide means connected to said chamber and extending from said annular chamber and between the fan blades to the exguide means is connected to the periphery of the annular chamber and extends between the fan blades near the roots thereof.

4. A water disposal means for an air conditioner including a motor having a shaft and a fan carried thereby, a refrigeration condenser, said fan being disposed to circulate air through the condenser and having an inlet side and an exhaust side, means comprising an annular chamber surrounding the shaft and supported thereby in spaced relation thereto, a continuous inlet opening to said annular chamber between the shaft and a wall of the chamber, means for conducting water through said opening into the chanmber, and outlet means for said chamber comprising at least a pair of water conducting guide means, at least one of said guide means being substantially parallel to said shaft and the other being outwardly inclined, connected to said chamber and extending between the fan blades to the exhaust side thereof. 5. A water disposal means for an air conditioner including a motor having a shaft and a fan carried thereby, a refrigeration condenser, said fan being disposed to circulate air through the condenser and having an inlet side and an exhaust side, means comprising an annular chamber surrounding the shaft and supported thereby in spaced relation thereto, a continuous inlet opening to said annular chamber betweenthe shaft and a wall of the chamber, means for conducting water through said opening into the chamber, and outlet means for said chamber comprising a plurality of water conducting guide means connected to said chamber and extending between the fan blades to the exhaust side, alternate ones of said guide means being substantially parallel to the shaft and the intermediate ones being inclined outwardly therefrom.

6. A water disposal means for an air conditioner including a motor having a shaft and a fan carried thereby, a refrigeration condenser, said fan being disposed to circulate air through the condenser and having an inlet side and an exhaust side, said means comprising a hub for support on the motor shaft on the air inlet side of the fan blades, and having an outwardly extending circular part, a cup-shaped member surrounding the hub and supported by said part in spaced relation to the hub, said cup being formed to provide a continuous inlet opening and together with the circular part of the hub providing an annular chamber means for conducting water through said opening into the chamber, and outlet means for said chamber comprising water conducting ducts connected to said chamber and extending between the fan blades to the exhaust side thereof.

7. A device as described in claim 6 where certain of the ducts extend'substantially parallel to the shaft and others incline away from the shaft.

8. A device as described in claim 1 wherein said water conducting guide means are connected to the periphery of said annular chamber and slope radially outwardly thereof as they extend generally axially between the blades of said fan.

References Cited in the file of this patent Borgerd May 19, 1953 

